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“They understand the importance of fulfilling the organizations’ mission, and so in order to do that most organizations are forced to do more with less, which has forced people in the organization to step up and accept new responsibilities,” he"

Young people (currently members of the Millennial Generation and Generation X) had the highest rate of formal volunteering (43 percent), inching ahead of people aged 65 and over (42 percent) who had traditionally led in this area. Thirty-five percent of those in the Baby Boomer generation volunteered in their communities in the past year."

Young Turks On Board: "Most non-profits are now hungry to bring age diversity to their boards, understanding that their evolution, if not their survival, requires a new generation of support.

'We need young people not only for audience development but also because their brains are wired differently. They're operating in a different cultural world view,' says Donald Harrison, executive director, Ann Arbor Film Festival."

* Partnerships between individual donors and foundations — financier Warren Buffett’s gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation being the most obvious example — can present opportunities for both parties, writes Padriac Brick on the New Philanthropy Capital blog. New Philanthropy Capital, a London charity that advises donors on their giving, recently produced a report on the subject."

A New Orleans judge has ruled in favor of Tulane University in a donor intent dispute over a century-old bequest.

Civil District Court Judge Rosemary Ledet on Monday granted the university’s motion for summary judgment while denying the plaintiffs’ motion. She ruled that language in the will of Josephine Newcomb contained “no enforceable conditional obligation to support” claims by plaintiffs, The Future of Newcomb College (TFNC). Language in the will “clearly gives the university full and complete control over how her donation will be used,” according to a statement from Tulane University."

Donations roll in big - News: "The new fiscal year, however, looked to be less promising than previous years. With the lingering recession and growing numbers of unemployed workers, it seemed that the university might not be able to receive the same level of contributions compared to past years.Fortunately for the university, this was not the case. Even with a struggling national economy, UND was benefitted from 13,491 donors this past year and raised $47 million-up from $36 million last year."

Aflac, the supplemental insurance giant that sponsors Edwards' Roush Fenway Racing entry, offered children at Aflac Cancer Center, which operates out of multiple locations in greater Atlanta, the opportunity to participate in a contest called 'Color Carl's Car.'"

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Columbus Foundation hits $1B grant-making mark - Business First of Columbus:: "The foundation said a recent $9,000 grant pushed the nonprofit’s tally of awards past the $1 billion mark since its inception in 1943.. The specific grant is headed to Transit Arts, part of Columbus-based Central Community House community center, for the creation of a young artists’ gathering called Paradise Café."

The future of its slimmed-down successor launched just this year, Midsummer Nights in Midtown, also hangs in the balance.

The University Cultural Center Association, which sponsored the Festival of the Arts with Wayne State University since 1987, put the festival on hold this year. In its place, it mounted Midsummer Nights every weekend in June with performances at small venues throughout Midtown."

The home, valued at $2 million, is the prize offered in the Marin Dream House Raffle. The lucky ticket holder will win the brand new Bay-front home, and all proceeds raised in the giveaway will benefit Community Action Marine, one of the area's oldest and largest private social service providers."

Eli Broad Wants “Democratic” Art Philanthropy - ARTINFO.com: "LOS ANGELES— Philanthropist Eli Broad sparked controversy in January 2008 when he announced that he would be donating most of his 1,900 piece art collection not to the Los Angeles County Art Museum (LACMA), where he is a trustee, but to his Broad Art Foundation, which loans contemporary art to museums around the world. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, he describes that decision as part of an effort to help smaller museums and maximize the educational reach of his collection."

Bloomberg Pays Costly Tribute to an Aide, Patricia Harris - NYTimes.com: "Mr. Bloomberg’s philanthropy has often had a personal dimension. He had an emergency medical center in Jerusalem dedicated to his father, William, and a health center there to his mother, Charlotte. He had a residence hall at Princeton University named for his daughter Emma, and had the Arms and Armor Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art named for Emma and his younger daughter, Georgina."

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Surviving the Downturn : Environmental Nonprofits Face a New Economic Reality (By Kristin Bender): "The groups that act as stewards for the earth’s oceans, land, water and wildlife are facing a new battle: the poor economy. With the national unemployment rate hovering around 9.5%—the highest it’s been in 25 years—and more than 14.5 million Americans out of work, funding for the nation’s large and small environmental nonprofits has stalled, forcing them to reexamine their core priorities.

Leaders of these nonprofits say they have cut jobs, eliminated annual events, reduced the number of issues they can tackle and have watched annual donations dip due to the economy."

Corporate Giving Moving Into a New Age :: PNNOnline ::: "With giving budgets down for many corporations and fewer community involvement staff on the payroll, corporate charitable giving departments are busier than ever. The good news for many charities is that the corporations surveyed by LBG Research Institute show no decrease in their commitment to supporting their communities.

According to the report, 'Making the Most of What We Have: Corporate Giving in the New Economy,' corporations and their foundations are showing their support for their communities by marshalling other, non-cash resources. More than 84% of corporations surveyed say they are encouraging more employee volunteerism to offset a decline in cash giving. More than 48% have increased the number of volunteer events this year. And almost 45% report increased participation rates in their employee volunteer programs."

The series of studies, published in the August 2009 Journal of Consumer Research, examined how men and women gave to victims of Katrina and the South Asian tsunami, as well as how they gave to victims of terrorism in London and Iraq. The result was a significant difference in the male and female approach to charitable giving."

Monday, August 31, 2009

The billion-dollar donors: "The most exclusive subset of the world's wealthy may be this one: those living philanthropists who have already given away US$1-billion or more. For the first time ever, Forbes has put together a list of the world's billion-dollar donors. Of the 793 billionaires in the world, only 11 made it into this group."

Pro bono service has come a long way, beginning within the legal profession, which recognized early on that it is a great way to demonstrate a firm’s expertise and attract more business, while creating significant impact in the community. But, these services were largely being provided behind closed doors and measurement of impact and business value was not common practice."

Public service is cool again | csmonitor.com: "Gubbala is joining tens of thousands of recent graduates opting to work in public service, part of a generational shift similar to the one seen after President Kennedy called for service and began the Peace Corps in 1961."

In Nashville, it was a full month. In Philadelphia, it was every Wednesday in July. In New York, it was a full week. In each case, The Salvation Army’s Christmas in July campaign had one goal: to raise more money to handle the continuing increase in requests for essential services.

The Christmas in July campaigns are a decision that local units made to meet increased needs in their areas, according to Jaime Joswick, public relations specialist at The Salvation Army National Headquarters in Alexandria, Va. A program was initiated in as many as two dozen chapters around the country."

Volatility in the stock market might make individuals looking for security more open to charitable gift annuities (CGA). But, at the same time the market might be wreaking havoc on a charity’s annuity reserves, a portion of which are usually invested in equities.

The American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) recommends a portfolio be invested 40 percent in equities and 55 percent in bonds, with 5 percent cash."

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued an opinion in a case involving Robert Dillie, this past June. Mr. Dillie operated a fraudulent foundation between 1996 and 2001. This foundation was in actuality a ponzi scheme which issued $55 million in gift annuities to over 400 donors, sold through investment advisers who were receiving commissions on the sales of new gift annuities. He is now serving 121 months in prison for his crimes but the legal fallout from his nefarious operation lives on."